"I want to." Ji Wushang stopped and answered directly, "But if you don't say, I won't force you!" He was about to leave when Yiyun Shangcheng immediately said, "Nan Xuzong is about to be killed by Beigong Jueshi."
"What?" Ji Wushang immediately turned to look at Yiyun Shangcheng, but unexpectedly, he bumped directly into his chest. Ji Wushang was so shocked that he stepped back. "How is this possible!"
"What? How could that be? Did I tell you I was hit by your silver needles? Did you strike my pressure points?" Yi Yun Shangcheng stepped forward with a smile. "However, I am truly grateful to you for saving Black Eagle's life."
"Thank you, that's enough. Please leave with your Black Hawk. Thank you!" Ji Wushang walked to a lamp and immediately turned the oil lamp. Instantly, the wall behind her opened. Ji Wushang quickly slipped into the wall. Yi Yunshang tried to catch up with her as fast as possible, but she had already bumped into the cold wall!
Enraged, Yiyun Shangcheng immediately channeled her energy to demolish the wall, but then stopped herself. If the attack shattered the wall, the entire place might collapse; finding a mechanism was more important! Otherwise, she might be trapped inside!
Yiyun Shangcheng stopped using his powers and immediately went to find the mechanism.
Ji Wushang was slightly out of breath. That was close! He had almost been captured! He needed to keep his distance.
Ji Wushang shook off his thoughts and immediately left, heading in another direction.
Hongfei waited anxiously outside, glancing at the secret chamber inside and then at the fighting outside. Cuiwu approached, asking, "How is it? Where is the Crown Princess?"
“They’re still inside,” Hongfei said.
"Could something have happened?" Cuiwu asked immediately.
"It shouldn't be. The secret passage designed by the master wouldn't be easily breached. He personally instructed the Crown Princess on the mechanisms and other details. The Crown Princess must have been a little slow!"
Just then, the door to the secret room finally opened, and Ji Wushang came out, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. "How did things go?" he asked, trying to quickly regain his composure.
Hongfei and Cuiwu were both excited, "Everything is taken care of!"
"Where are they?" Ji Wushang went outside and saw dozens of iron guards and bodyguards attacking the few men in black. The men in black were extremely fierce, killing many bodyguards and bodyguards, but they were also seriously injured. Tie Feng gripped his knife and leaped into the fray, engaging the men in black in fierce combat. After several rounds, he killed some of them!
"Leave Aunt Zhao here. I want to personally have my father, the Marquis, punish her!" Ji Wushang said coldly. He wanted to see how the Marquis would handle this matter!
"Yes!" Hongfei immediately drew his sword and stepped forward, while Cuiwu stood guard over Ji Wushang.
Seeing these people relentlessly slaughtering their prey, Ji Wushang was worried about Nan Xuzong. He knew that Beigong Jueshi's martial arts were not to be underestimated, and he didn't want either of them to get hurt! Turning to Cuiwu, he said, "Cuiwu, send someone to check immediately. Find out where the young master is. If he needs anything, be sure to help! Make sure he returns safely!"
"Yes!" Cuiwu looked at Ji Wushang, "Then, Princess Consort, if I leave, who will protect you?"
"I can manage on my own. There are so many people here, no one should try to kill me, don't worry!" Ji Wushang said. At this moment, Yue'er and Xian'er ran over from outside, "Miss!"
"Okay, Cuiwu, hurry up and do it! Come over as soon as you're done!" Ji Wushang looked at Xian'er and Yue'er.
"Yes." Cuiwu nodded. If there was any danger, although these two maids didn't know any martial arts, they could still use their own bodies to protect her! She believed they would never back down!
Ji Wushang looked at Xian'er and Yue'er. Yue'er immediately stepped forward and said, "Miss, the matter has been handled as you instructed!"
"Very good." Ji Wushang gave them an approving look before looking outside. Sure enough, the Marquis and his entourage were rushing to this courtyard. This side courtyard was actually quite small, and not many people usually came here, since it was a prison!
But today is going to be quite a spectacle!
When Aunt Zhao saw the Marquis arrive with a large group of people, she knew that she had no chance of turning the tide. She fought even harder, trying to find a way out. However, Hong Fei drew his sword and blocked her path, forcing her into a corner!
Hongfei was specially trained, so she was naturally much stronger and more skilled in martial arts than Aunt Zhao. Therefore, Aunt Zhao was quickly defeated. With a clang, Aunt Zhao's longsword was kicked away by Hongfei, landing squarely in front of the Marquis as he approached!
The Marquis was startled, looking at the long sword stuck in the ground, with bright red blood still dripping from it!
The concubines and young ladies around were all startled. Zhao Yirou looked at the scene and then at Aunt Zhao, who had been kicked several times by Hong Fei and was seriously injured, with blood gushing from her mouth.
Ji Wushang locked his gaze on Aunt Zhao, who fought and retreated. The Marquis and his men also arrived at the scene of the fight!
Zhao Yirou hesitated for a moment, then immediately stepped forward. "You assistants! This is the Marquis's residence. How can you cause trouble here?" she shouted, as if afraid others wouldn't know she had come to this dungeon!
Ji Wushang narrowed his eyes. "Quickly, have the Iron Guards pull Zhao Yirou away!"
At that moment, Aunt Zhao leaped to Zhao Yirou's side and grabbed her by the neck from behind, yelling, "Everyone stay still! Otherwise, I'll kill her!"
Suddenly, everything seemed to stop. Ji Wushang stepped down the stairs and looked at the person in front of him. "Sister-in-law Yirou, your father will understand all the contributions you have made to the Marquis's mansion! Guards, seize the assassin!"
"No!" Zhao Yirou cried out immediately, "Princess Consort, save me!"
"It was your carelessness... You can't blame me. Wu Shang couldn't do anything about it either. I'll buy you a top-quality coffin! Go down and keep your second brother company!" Ji Wu Shang's face was expressionless, and then he made a killing gesture.
A ruthless glint flashed in Zhao Yirou's eyes. This woman actually wanted her dead?
"Stop right now!" Aunt Zhao grabbed Zhao Yirou by the neck and whispered in her ear, "Cooperate with me right now, or if they catch me, I'll expose everything about you!"
Zhao Yirou narrowed her eyes upon hearing this, but her expression instantly turned cold. "Father, save me!"
"Zhao Rui, it really is you!" The Marquis recognized Zhao Yiniang's voice and glared at her angrily. "You're the one who blamed me, aren't you? And then you tried to harm Ruolan? How could you be so heartless!"
"Nan Aogan! What have you given me now? You once promised to love only me, but all I've done is ruin my face, and you've already turned around and doted on other women! Tell me, when have you ever put me in your heart?"
"Since ancient times, men have had three wives and four concubines! It's your own problem, not my fault!" Marquis Jinnan put on airs at this moment.
Aunt Zhao sneered a few times, "What about Jin Xue? He was your good son! Why didn't you take good care of him? Instead, you let him die at the hands of a woman. It's because you didn't take good care of him!"
"This is his own choice! If it weren't for him, I, the Marquis, wouldn't have to feel so ashamed in the capital!"
"Haha!" Aunt Zhao laughed loudly. "Stop talking nonsense, Nan Aogan. If you can spare me the memory of our marriage, I'll disappear from your sight!" Aunt Zhao sneered, then looked at Zhao Yirou, whom she had imprisoned. "Yirou, you should die! Because Jin Xue is so lonely. Ji Yinxue, Youlan, and Shui Pei have gone down to keep him company, but it's not enough. He needs you to go down and keep him company too!"
Zhao Yirou's heart skipped a beat, and the force in her throat tightened even more. She immediately slid a dagger from under her sleeve and, with a swift movement, stabbed it towards Aunt Zhao's lower abdomen. "Ah!" At that moment, Zhao Yirou screamed, "Aunt!"
Ji Wushang and the Marquis immediately stepped forward, while Aunt Zhao lay on the ground, glaring fiercely at Zhao Yirou, "You bitch, you actually plotted against me!"
"Auntie, Yi Rou didn't die on purpose! Yi Rou, Yi Rou was forced by you, sob sob!" Zhao Yi Rou suddenly burst into tears, then looked at the woman in front of her, watching the blood continuously flowing from her lower abdomen, and slowly felt a sense of satisfaction. Dead, good! Dead, no need to reveal her secret! You threatened me, I'll make you die by my dagger!
However, Zhao Yirou's face was contorted with pain. Seeing that Aunt Zhao was barely breathing, she threw herself on her and wailed, "Aunt, why would you do this! What is the reason for this?!"
Ji Wushang watched her act with a cold smile. He hadn't expected Zhao Yirou to actually kill Aunt Zhao! However, this meant that Zhao Yirou's identity was far more complex than it seemed, and that she definitely harbored many secrets! He was determined to dig her out and deal with her!
"You...you slut!...You and Ji Wushang...are...just as...slutty!" Aunt Zhao looked at the weeping Zhao Yirou in front of her. "You slut, you actually killed me! I'll haunt you even as a ghost, just wait for me to come and take your life! I'll...even as a ghost, I won't...won't...ah!" As Aunt Zhao said this, Zhao Yirou cruelly used the angle to stab the dagger even deeper! Moreover, she even rotated the dagger inside her body!
"Then you can go and become a ghost first!" Zhao Yirou sneered, but the next second, she burst into tears, "Auntie!"
"What are you crying for!" the Marquis roared. "Get out of here!" He was in a terrible mood! He was furious with everyone in this mansion!
Zhao Yirou smiled inwardly and stepped aside, while Ji Wushang took it all in! This Zhao Yirou was his next formidable opponent!
Ji Wushang stepped forward, squatted down, and probed Zhao Yiniang's carotid artery. After examining the dagger embedded in her lower abdomen, he looked up at the Marquis of Jinnan and said, "Father, she's dead. It was Sister-in-law Yirou who did it!"
"Dead? So be it!" Marquis Jinnan showed little grief, looking at the person on the ground. "Drag him away and bury him in the back mountain!" Then he turned to Zhao Yirou and said, "Yirou, you were hiding a dagger."
The fact that Aunt Zhao was killed by her own people can be seen as a form of retribution. Moreover, the fact that she was not buried in the ancestral grave but instead dragged to the back mountain shows that the Marquis of Jinnan did not approve of Aunt Zhao! This can also be considered a punishment for her!
Upon hearing the question from the Marquis of Jinnan, Zhao Yirou immediately knelt on the ground. "Father, Yirou has always carried a dagger with her since childhood for self-defense. Yirou never expected it to be Auntie. Auntie wanted to strangle Yirou, so Yirou had no choice but to stab her in the abdomen. Please punish me, Father!" As she spoke, she knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.
At this moment, guards came forward and dragged Aunt Zhao's body away. Ji Wushang quickly took one last look. The force and direction of Zhao Yirou's stabs clearly indicated that this woman knew martial arts! Even if it wasn't top-level training, she could at least control the depth, size, and force. He had to be extremely careful when dealing with her in the future!
Hearing Zhao Yirou's words, the Marquis of Jinnan thought they made some sense. If someone tried to kill him, he would definitely retaliate, and it wasn't impossible that he might accidentally kill Aunt Zhao! "Enough!" the Marquis of Jinnan said. "You may leave. You've been frightened; get some rest."
Zhao Yirou stood up from the ground with a bitter expression, then bowed to the Marquis of Jinnan before slowly walking back with her maid.
Ji Wushang kept a close eye on her actions, and a general idea formed in his mind... He hadn't forgotten what Aunt Zhao had said before! Zhao Yirou had actually killed Aunt Zhao, there must be some unspeakable secret waiting for him to uncover!
"Wu Shang, where is that maid?" Marquis Jin Nan waved his hand, signaling everyone to quickly deal with the situation.
Ji Wushang said, "Tie Feng, bring him up!"
"Yes!" Tie Feng, who had been waiting to the side, immediately ordered his guards to bring the maid forward. The maid immediately knelt at Ji Wushang's feet, "Thank you, Princess Consort, for saving my life! Thank you, Princess Consort!"
"Tell me everything you know! Aunt Zhao is dead, so you have nothing to worry about. Besides, I've had Tie Feng rescue your family, and they're resting at your home now. If you tell me everything today, I'll let you go home tomorrow and even give you some money to support your family!" Ji Wushang said, looking at the people around him. Aunt Jin and the young ladies looked rather unpleasant, as if they were surprised.
For the past hundred years, this Marquis's mansion has only been plagued by internal strife. The deaths of one or two people are not a big deal, but this time, blood has stained the courtyard!
Upon hearing this, the maid immediately kowtowed several times to Ji Wushang before saying, "Reporting to the Princess Consort and the Marquis, the matter is as follows..."
Aunt Zhao deeply resented Nan Jinxue's death, so she devised a series of schemes. First, she arranged for Zhu'er to collide with Aunt Leng. Regardless of whether Aunt Leng miscarried the child or not, it would definitely have a severe impact on her health. Moreover, Aunt Zhao had already ordered a slow-acting poison to be added to Aunt Leng's food. Even if the child was born, it would be weak and wouldn't survive long!
Zhu'er's offense against Aunt Leng will undoubtedly ignite a war between Ji Wushang and Aunt Leng. Since Aunt Leng has given birth to Nan Zhaoxue and Nan Zaiqing, these two will certainly fight Ji Wushang to the death over Aunt Leng's life. In the end, Aunt Jin and Aunt Zhao will reap the benefits. However, Aunt Jin was given an infertility-inducing drug by Aunt Zhao long ago, when Aunt Zhao was in power, so she has no chance of conceiving again. Therefore, as long as the matter remains undiscovered, Aunt Zhao will be the biggest winner! Although Nan Jinxue is dead, Aunt Zhao will make the entire Marquis's mansion pay for her death!
As for Ji Wushang, Aunt Zhao intends to use Zhao Yirou to restrain her, and join forces with all the women in the inner courtyard of the Marquis's mansion to put Ji Wushang to death! Especially tonight, with Nan Xuzong absent, it is even more important to seize the opportunity to kill Ji Wushang!
After hearing this, the Marquis of Jinnan was stunned for a long time. He never expected that the women in the backyard of the Marquis's mansion were all so ruthless and cunning!
Ji Wushang looked at the maid, "You just said they're going to join forces against me? That means there's more than just Aunt Zhao as the culprit this time?"
"Yes, but that's all I heard. And I was originally working outside, but I never expected that Aunt Zhao would send a message to me, instructing me to order several maids to do something harmful!"
"How utterly despicable!" the Marquis of Jinnan roared. "My Jinnan Marquisate absolutely cannot have such a woman! I, Nan Aogan, hereby divorce Zhao Rui and make her a slave! And, guards!" In large families, it is easy for the patriarch to divorce a concubine. After all, a concubine's status is sometimes similar to that of a commodity, while at other times she can be very precious, depending on how much she is favored.
"Here!" Several guards immediately stepped forward.
"Dig up Zhao Rui's corpse from the back mountain, chop it up, and throw it into the ditch to feed the wolves!" Marquis Jinnan sneered. That damned woman! She actually used a drug to kill several of her concubines! No wonder Concubine Jin's belly hadn't shown any signs of pregnancy for so long; she was infertile! And Leng Ruolan finally got pregnant, only to be framed like this! Did Zhao Rui really think she was going to destroy the entire Marquis's mansion? Did she really want to bury this century-old foundation in her hands?
Delusion!
Ji Wushang gasped. These were the words of the Marquis of Jinnan himself. He was supposed to be very merciful! Throwing her into a ditch to feed the wolves, huh? How interesting! I'm afraid Aunt Zhao won't be able to be reincarnated as a human in her next life; she'll just be a ghost!
He had finally gotten his revenge. Aunt Zhao had tormented him a lot in his past life, and now, she had received this punishment, unable to rest in peace even in death. It was a way of paying the price!
"Yes!" The guard naturally obeyed the Marquis of Jinnan's orders and immediately went to carry them out.
"Let's leave it at that! Go back now!" Marquis Jinnan loved the people around him. Fortunately, Aunt Jin was no longer here. Otherwise, if she heard that he had already taken the infertility drug, wouldn't she jump up the back mountain and eat Zhao Rui to vent her anger?
As Ji Wushang watched the people around him disperse, his heart grew even more uneasy, because there was still one thing left to do—no, three things!
First, there's the matter of Nan Xuzong; second, there's the matter of Yiyun Shangcheng in the secret room; third, someone has come to assassinate me, but hasn't shown up yet! This incident has occurred in the Marquis's mansion, but will those who sent me to kill me let it go? Will they just watch the Marquis's mansion suffer and then turn back to report?
No, those people would never do that!
Ji Wushang watched as Tie Feng led the Iron Guards to dispose of the corpses, then called out to him, "Tie Feng."
At this time, all the masters in the courtyard had left, and Marquis Jinnan naturally returned to his own courtyard.
"Princess Consort!" Tie Feng immediately stepped forward and bowed.
"This isn't over yet. Be extra careful. I'm afraid it's not as simple as just killing me... I have a feeling this might be... wiping out the entire family!" Ji Wushang lowered his voice, then looked around. "Add as many men as you have. We must make sure we survive tonight."
"Yes!" Tie Feng knew the seriousness of the matter. He thought of Ma Rui from the Ma Family Army. Ma Rui was his friend. If he sent someone to invite Ma Rui, Ma Rui should be able to bring some people from the Ma Family Army to solve the problem of the Marquis's mansion!
Ji Wushang gazed at the night sky. If the Marquis's mansion were truly wiped out, she wouldn't feel the slightest pain. However, she had to consider the Ji General's Mansion behind her! She had married into this Marquis's family, and her future fate was still intertwined with it. Moreover, she had to consider Nan Xuzong; after all, he was raised by the Marquis of Jinnan's mansion. Before the prince's arrival tomorrow, she must protect the Marquis of Jinnan's mansion for him!
Ji Wushang called Hongfei, Cuiwu, and the others over, gave them further instructions, and then walked towards Moxuan Garden with peace of mind.
...
The mountain was particularly cold at night, but the two were locked in a fierce battle. Nan Xuzong and Beigong Jueshi had already exchanged no less than five hundred blows. However, in their back-and-forth exchanges, although Beigong Jueshi was ruthless and single-mindedly focused on killing Nan Xuzong, Nan Xuzong was able to evade him. He tried to capture him, but each time Nan Xuzong's attack reached his body, he either neutralized it or absorbed it directly, managing to repel the power Nan Xuzong had given him within a short period of time! Nan Xuzong was forced to contend with him.
He couldn't bear to hurt him, but his heart was filled with anxiety. The night was already deep enough; murder and other unsavory acts were often committed at such times! The only thing he could do now was to find a way to save Beigong Jueshi, and secondly, to hurry back to the Marquis's residence. He had promised Ji Wushang that he would return that night! Moreover, he absolutely had to attend court the next day!
Nan Xuzong looked at Beigong Jueshi and tried his best to call his name, but to no avail, so he had to find another way.
"Where is Princess Mu Chen? Bei Gong Jue Shi, I ask you, where is Princess Mu Chen?" Nan Xu Cong shouted at this moment.
Mu Chen.
Bei Gong Jue Shi froze, his soft sword momentarily halting its power. Why did this name feel so familiar? So familiar that his heart seemed to flutter? Bei Gong Jue Shi frowned, but then a surge of evil energy welled up within him, burying his mind once more.